


Missions of Passion

by Semi_Weird_Shipper



Series: Weirdo's Anime Stories [5]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Awkward Conversations, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, I needed to write some slash, I'm Sorry, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Injury Recovery, M/M, Self-Hatred, Slash, Suspense, it's been too long
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:00:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25372762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semi_Weird_Shipper/pseuds/Semi_Weird_Shipper
Summary: An AU mostly based off the real thing but still pretty different.Summary: Lord Hokage knows that the greatest way to build up Chakra is through acts of love and passion. So before the Chunin exams begin, he requests three Sensei set out with a set of students to complete missions together. But these missions are much different than one would first expect, and require great team work. Maybe Naruto can finally find someone like him, and maybe Gaara can finally learn to love.
Relationships: Gaara/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Weirdo's Anime Stories [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1744729
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	Missions of Passion

**Author's Note:**

> So basically I'm going back to the beginning before the Chunin exams even start. This is merely an observation mission. A test. Lord Hokage wants to see if his theory actually works, and who knows... Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. Let's find out, shall we?

If there was anything the great third Hokage knew, it was that love was an even stronger driving force for fighting conflicts with passion and determination. It was the intense, unyielding desire and will to protect and ensure the safety of the ones who are close to us that silently implore people to try their hardest to make sure that the ones they love stay protected. Hate, revenge, rivalry and grudge aren't factors that make the heart stronger, but rather plague the mind with darkness and corruption, and that only weakens the hearts will to carry-on. It was time they taught their students the importance of this lesson, so that one day they may protect their beloved village with their strongest will powered by their greatest factor; love.

Lord Hokage made this announcement upon a meeting joined with all the loyal Sensei'. For the most part they seemed rather conflicted and confused, but as he explained his points of view, they settled for some mild questions. Lord Hokage knew that this was new and rather challenging to accept, but if they could achieve this training together, then they will have built the strongest empire yet. Although only slightly on board, the Sensei' seemed to be debating for their training was meant to be for the sheer willpower of the body and mind, not the heart or emotions. It was going to be awkward trying to train kids to... love each other.

"It is in my recent studies that I realized love induces more chakra than any kind of anger or hatred. Our strongest gate is normally located here, in our chest, and from there it is connected to our heart. Our strongest source of power." He explained in a genuinely proud way, hand resting over his chest as he stood from his seat, "Each year the Chunin Exams are normally the same or similar to the previous year beforehand. This year, I will choose three willing Sensei to carry-on a set of new and unique missions with the set of students who's chakra reacts strongest towards one another."

Many different sets of eyes amongst the room stayed wide and even shaky, for this news was much to take in. Hands rose to impatiently beat in with burning, aching questions while others stayed limp in the laps of those Sensei with weaker mind sets. "Lord Hokage," Kurenai politely rose her hand.

The third nodded in her direction.

As she lowered her hand, her body leaned forward in eager disclosed confusion, "I understand what you are trying to accomplish here, but I don't quite understand _how_. These missions, are they going to be enough to even get them through the finals?"

"I understand your concern, Kurenai Yuhi, but keep in mind that this is merely a test. The selected students will be able to compete in the finals even if they fail their first mission. If the plan does not work and the students do not resort to one another and build up their chakra levels, then the Sensei will resort to regular trailing methods and advance from there." Lord Hokage explained and lifted his head, eyes gazing across the room, "Now, who wishes to volunteer for the three roles of the test?"

A moment of silence bathed the room of blinking, bland eyes. Only the sound of gently hustling wind and laughing children outside could conquer the quietness of the room. After a few minutes of consideration, the ever so disappointing sound of shuffling feet began to fill the room as many Sensei' stood from their seats and began to walk from the meeting. Lord Hokage wasn't discouraged by the amount of Sensei' who fled, but rather surprised by who had stayed. Kurenai, Kakashi, Asuma, Iruka, and even Hayate all remained sitting patiently before him.

Lord Hokage smiled and bowed his head, "I am greatful for your support, but I'm afraid only three of you will be required for these positions. Kakashi and Kurenai, I truly appreciate your cooperation, but I am requesting that you continue on with regular training for now. If our plan does succeed, then the offering will suffice once again, that is of course, if you are still interested. In the meantime... Thank you."

Kakashi and Kurenai both bowed their heads respectfully and left the room where Lord Hokage began to explain his new operation to the remaining Sensei.

... 

Thirty children had been selected for the written test. Well, technically it wasn't so much a written test as it was a private exam where one at a time children were pulled into a room to be intensely examined by their chakra levels while Iruka Sensei asked several unique questions. Naruto Uzumaki was one of those students. The young, clueless boy sat in the overcrowded waiting room, hands above his head and a bead of sweat snaking slowly down behind his ear as he wore his headband proudly. _'What the hecks going on?'_ He wondered, _'What kind of test is this?'_

Naruto wasn't one to really envy written tests, especially ones that needed to be supervised. At least that's what he was currently overhearing at the moment as kids around his age attempted to predict what kind of test they were going to take. _'What gives anyway? I thought we were done with written tests.…'_ Naruto glared in the direction of the closed off room, feeling a whole cascade of sweat threatening to take him over.

He had made it this far. He didn't wanna screw it up again by attempting some stupid paper test that somehow only writing could answer. Couldn't he just tear it up using a special jutsu or something? Surely that would impress everybody....Naruto gazed upon the room. For some reason, there were kids from different clans like the sound and sand village. Not that he had problems or anything, but he wasn't entirely on the train of what these weirdos were doing here. All of them had been introduced this morning by Iruka Sensei. While most of them seemed to stick out in some notorious way, there was one student who hit him as a little too close to home, or rather... Hell.

Gaara, if he rembered right, didn't answer the question whenever Iruka asked what his goal was as a ninja, and Naruto's heart ached to ice blue in horrible remembrance as kids whispered amongst each other about what a freak the red haired boy was. Whether or not there was a good reason for their rudeness, Naruto did not forfeit the stranger. Everyone was different. Couldn't people just accept that? Other students didn't seem to stand out as much, and if they did then it was with massive ego. Naruto only saw them as bait to destroy.

"Naruto Uzumaki," None other than Iruka Sensei spoke joyfully through the now opened doorway.

"Huh?" Naruto opened his eyes, unaware that he had been mindlessly daydreaming before feeling a stab of dread mixed in with excitement and fear, "Oh right..."

"You're looking well today," Iruka stated in the same joyful way as he always did, his eyes set at a smile to match the handsome curve of his lips, "Did you get some good rest last night?"

"Yeah, it was great," Naruto answered somewhat blatantly as he nervously observed the other Sensei' around the room, "So uhh.... What kind of test is this anyway? I thought we were finished with written exams? Why are _they_ here?"

"Whoa, slow down, Naruto," Iruka lifted his hands up in a mockery of surrender, still sounding just as joyful as when Naruto first entered, "Keep in mind, this isn't exactly what you would call a written exam and it won't effect your temporary scores for the Chunin Exams."

 _'Oh, that's a relief,'_ Naruto wilted exhaustedly within his own mind, body going slack for a moment before tensing in anticipation. "Well that's great, but I still don't get what the hecks going on here."

"Simply put, I'm going to ask you some questions and whether you respond or not is completely up to you. The Sensei' behind you will merely be your observers." Iruka released a small laugh at the young boy's unimpressed expression towards his meek explanation. "Shall we begin?"

Naruto made a distressed noise of debating before shoving his hands in his pockets and shrugging, "Ugh, I guess so."

"Splendid," Iruka took a seat in front of the student and grabbed a scroll, "Are you ready?"

"Mhm," Naruto nodded, still feeling quite nervous despite knowing that this wasn't going to ruin his chances in becoming a Chunin.

"How do you feel towards Shikamaru?" Iruka asked with that odd smile on his face.

Naruto's brow kinked upwards in confusion. "You mean that grumpy, old discouraged kid?" He thinned his lips out and shrugged once more, "I guess he's alright. Don't really care much about him though. He's kind of a jerk."

"How would you feel if you saw him naked?"

"What!" Naruto shouted, his eyes large and hands lifted out as if to catch any hairs falling off his head from disbelief, "What kind of question is that? If I saw Shikamaru naked, I'd tell him to put some damn clothes on, what's the matter with you? Why would you ask me something like that?"

Iruka had to physically hide his misfortune and distress, mental stability softly crumbling inside his heavy head. It had been like this with nearly every student so far, and Naruto was definitely among the worst at answering questions. "But what if Shikamaru didn't have any clothes?" Iruka went on anyways.

Naruto seemed to pause at the new question but only briefly, "Then I'd tell him to go find some. He has a bedroom doesn't he?"

"But what if in the situation you were in, Shikamaru didn't have his bedroom nor any resource nearby to get such quantities? What if you were the only person he had?"

"Well tough luck I guess," Naruto closed his eyes and put his hands back behind his head, posture relaxing as he lowered his chin in thought. "But..." He hesitated, "If nothing else, I guess I could give him my jacket or something. Maybe we could _find_ some clothes... I don't know."

"Next question," Iruka moved on to the next set of questions in line, "How do you feel towards Sasuke?"

Naruto's answer was instantaneous. "I hate him! Let him burn for all I care, the guy thinks he's so cool and that he can win over Sakura. Well he's got a whole new thing coming, because when I become the next Hokage, Sakura will love _me_ , not him. Believe it."

"How would you feel if you saw him naked?"

" _What?!_ " And the questions and headaches continued.

.... 

By the end of the week, the results for the new exam had been calculated and assumed. Nine students had been chosen to participate in the mission of passion. Neji, Sakura, Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, Hinata, Gaara, Dosu, and Temari were the lucky contesters. Iruka Sensei felt an unsure bead of sweat run down his cheek as he stared down at the scroll in which held the group names of each set of three students and the type of mission they would be going on. Asuma's group held Sakura, Kiba and Hinata; quite a sincere, lovely group. Hayate's selected group was Naruto, Shikamaru and Gaara; strange, but not that bad. The last three nearly made Iruka wilt in misfortune. Neji, Dosu, and Temari.... How would he ever survive?

Next on the scroll sat a neat file of missions that made Iruka raise an eyebrow. He understood that this whole mission was a commentary one and not specifically meant to be anything related to the Chunin exams, but there was something about the list that made him feel a wave of pointlessness. No one could consider these missions anything close to even rank D. Whilst they still had a couple months before actual Chunin training was on the line, there honestly didn't seem to be any reason to engage in these silly tests, but he had already agreed to it, and besides... The simplicity of the missions explained on the list made poor Iruka feel slightly more motivated about his little group of moody psychopaths.

Iruka smiled as he thought about Naruto for a moment. The kid wasn't the brightest but he did have potential. Even if these little missions weren't the most exciting, Iruka could still see the little guy pushing through. After all, he did have the heart for it.

.... 

Hayate gazed down at his group of ninja and uttered a small, distinct cough. He wasn't entirely familiar with any of them besides the yellow haired kid but that was only by his disgraceful fame. Not that he wouldn't give the little guy any credit, but after reading over some bio and grasping more understanding of his bizarre personality, Hayate wasn't so sure about how their success as a team would go. Naruto lived life for adventure and purpose, and believed strongly in his dreams. Competing in missions that had nothing to do with any of those factors might prove troublesome. Hayate could only hope that he was just as passionate towards the group as he was towards his dreams.

The other two students were quiet and, unlike Naruto who was steaming eagerly in excitement, seemed less happy to be here. Their expressions held annoyance and lacked any sort of joy and motivation. The red haired one known as Gaara appeared to be ready to go and apt to pay attention, but his face held no emotion. Hayate had to wonder if he was suffering from apathy. The other kid with the shadow possession ability stood casually and with his arms crossed, the expression on his face screaming of boredom and discouragement. Hayate had to give the third Hokage credit; perhaps placing these three together would lead to great progress somehow.

After letting go of another small cough, Hayate lowered his hand and grasped hold of the scroll, "Alright, by now I think you know that this is merely a test. You will all go on unranked missions together, and based on your cooperation as a team, be carefully examined. Your results will be put to future use. None of these missions will effect your Chunin scores. "

"Yeah, yeah we get that already," Naruto growled in impatience and lifted his arms out, "Just give us the mission. I'm ready!"

Hayate remained motionless toward the impatient boy and continued on with his explanations. "Lord Hokage also wanted me to mention that if you do manage to put all your will into these missions, then there is an even greater chance that you will pass the Chunin exams. Please remember that this is not about you as a ninja, but about you as a _team_. These missions will require you all to support one another and create competitive strategy to survive together."

Naruto's mouth had slightly gaped open as he thought in awe to himself, _'A team? That's what this is about. What does he even mean by that?'_

"Awh, this is such a drag. Why are we even doing this when the regular exams already require team work?" Shikamaru asked randomly, making the whole situation sound dumb.

Naruto gestured to him with an agreeing nod, "Yeah Sensei, why are we doing this?"

Hayate nearly sighed, "As I've said before, these tests are different and do not relate to the Chunin exams. Your results will be documented."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly as Shikamaru's face scrunched up in suspicion. Gaara remained just as quiet and as motionless as when they first arrived at the bridge at the edge of the village.

Hayate took the lack of questions as his chance to continue. "Now," He coughed into his elbow, "For your first mission.... Gaara."

The red haired boy's head lifted only slightly at the sound of his name. Hayate squinted his eyes at him while everyone else stepped forward in curiosity, "Give Shikamaru a hug."

" _Wha?_ " Shikamaru's eyes widened fast. His shoulders grew tense and his breath nearly hitched in his throat as he looked to Gaara.

Gaara didn't seem to be the least bit effected by the request, his arms manually limp and face calm as he stared across the little patch of grass in front of them at Shikamaru. "What, that's stupid! How's a hug supposed to do anything?" Naruto shouted, fist balled and face roaring with ridiculousness.

"Think back to what I explained, Naruto," Hayate gazed to the riled boy before turning back towards the others.

Naruto remained quiet as he remembered it, _'If you do manage to put all your will into these missions, then there is an even greater chance that you will pass the Chunin exams.'_ His heart felt as if it skipped a beat.

"Well Gaara, what do you say?" Hayate looked at the sand ninja, "Will you give Shikamaru a hug?"

Gaara didn't even seem to be debating as he kept staring at Shikamaru who's hands stayed clenched at his sides. While the shadow possession boy didn't appear to be disgusted or even bothered by the request, he still looked undyingly annoyed. Yet then again, Shikamaru seemed to be annoyed by everything. "What the heck," He even shrugged and lifted his arms out, "Go for it."

Naruto gaped as he watched Gaara walk closer to Shikamaru, awkwardness heavier than fog. Gaara slowly lifted his arms up and slipped them underneath Shikamaru's lifted ones, and momentarily laid his head against his shoulder. It only lasted a few seconds and was over faster than a bird could fly by. Gaara carried his calm demeanor even as he separated. Shikamaru stuffed his hands in his pockets again and snooted off towards the side.

Hayate jotted down their results before subspacing his scroll and taking the lead into the forest. "Now, if you will follow me for the next mission." As Hayate took off into the tree branches of the forest, Shikamaru and Naruto exchanged unsure glances before following after, Gaara being the last to trail behind.

.... 

After about an hour of running through the endless dark of leaves, Hayate finally came to a stop amongst a clearing in the trees beside the creek and announced in satisfaction, "Ahh, this should be a good enough spot."

Naruto breathed steadily as he took in their surroundings. There wasn't anything particularly special about this spot. Just trees and more trees. Sunlight from the afternoon sky peeked in through a clearing in the branches as leaves from their travel sprinkled down to the rich forest floor. Naruto gazed up at the clearing, wondering deep down what all this could be about. "Sensei?" He asked.

"Yes Naruto?" Hayate hummed as he reached behind him and pulled off the bags he had been carrying on his shoulder.

"What are we doing here?" Naruto spoke in displeasure as he glared clumsily at all the boring scenery, "This seems like a pretty lame spot for a mission if you ask me...."

"Deal with it then, because it's where your next mission starts," Hayate threw one bag to Gaara and the other to Shikamaru as Naruto growled angrily at him, "For this mission, you have been given a limited amount of supplies. Together, you will use that supplies to make it to a town reaching just before the Valley of The End. You have one week. Here is your map."

Naruto gaped as Hayate handed him a small grey and white scroll. "So, you mean we have to... Wait a minute, in _one week_! Are you crazy? We don't have that kind of time or supplies. You really think those little bags are gonna last us that long?"

"They aren't _meant_ to last you that long. As a matter of fact, those bags I gave you are actually empty. The supplies you will have to gather on your own," Hayate calmly advised.

Naruto shouted, "And how do you suppose we do that, huh? You really expect us to go all the way to the Valley of The End with nothing?"

"You have each other don't you?" Hayate pointed out. Naruto's flustered behavior lessened. "To make it to the valley takes about three days at most. For now, you may use the spare time you have to collect food and supplies. I will speak it for the final time, this isn't training. It is a test. What you learn from it is completely up to you. Now... I must go."

"Wait, so you're telling me I'm stuck here with two losers and nothing else?" Shikamaru asked unhappily. Hayate nodded. Shikamaru groaned, "What a drag."

"I wouldn't underestimate your team members, Shikamaru," Hayate said as he jumped onto a tree branch, head tilting back to give the defenseless group one last departure glance, "They might be all you have."

And he took off.

"Well that's just great!" Naruto threw the scroll on the ground and stomped his foot by it, "How are we supposed to do anything without proper supplies?"

"You idiot," Shikamaru growled as he pushed Naruto aside and bent over to grab the scroll, "Didn't you hear Sensei? We gotta gather the supplies ourselves."

"Yeah, I heard that much, but how? It's not like there's a store nearby or anything!" Naruto crossed his arms and pouted into his sleeves.

Shikamaru unleashed the scroll and took in its details, "No, but there is a creek just right over there. Naruto, do you know anything about gathering fish?"

"Umm, sure, why?" Naruto asked as he scratched his head.

Shikamaru untied the bag he was given, "Because we'll need food. I noticed once Hayate Sensei handed me this bag that there were canisters in it. Here, take this and fill them up. If you can catch some fish then we'll be able to have lunch for a few days."

"Why do I gotta do it?" Naruto asked grumpily, hesitantly taking the bag.

Shikamaru sighed in distress, "This is such a drag..." He glared at the sky and said dumbly, "Look Naruto, I don't trust you enough with the knowledge of picking non-poisonous herbs, so I'm gonna do it. Gaara can stay here and find some firewood and, I don't know, I guess some stuff for a shelter or something? I don't know about you guys, but I wanna hit it out for a few days until it's time for us to really get a move on."

Gaara stared at the shadow possession boy. For someone who didn't sound the least bit motivated, he sure was strategic. It honestly was a good idea, one he would have thrown together himself if he had been alone. Naruto wasn't as phased, but he understood nonetheless, "Uhh, I guess so."

"If you run into trouble, just call," Shikamaru waved his hand dismissively as he took the bag from Gaara and began walking off, "I'm sure I can recognize that obnoxious yelling of yours."

Naruto growled in his direction, "Oh yeah? Well let's just see who's yelling, huh? Because by the time I'm through with you, you won't even be able to-"

"Save it," Shikamaru said sharply, "We need to keep our strength."

Naruto paused at his words and watched as he walked off into the dark of the forest. He had a point, he supposed, but he still wasn't happy with it. Once Shikamaru had fully vanished, Naruto looked down at the bag in his arms before looking over at the red haired kid. Gaara was staring at him placidly, his face an emotionless void. At first Naruto hummed in curiosity, but feigned only offense after another moment of the unchanging expression he wore, "What? What are you staring at?"

Gaara merely observed him a moment longer before turning his head around and aiming for a random tree to start picking sticks from. He unlatched the cap to his gourd and allowed the sand to swish free. From there he manipulated it to slither up the tree and around bigger, much thicker branches, easily snapping them to pieces. Naruto flinched as the massive bark fell down. _'Whoa,'_ He thought, watching as Gaara stood unaffected by the harsh actons, _'Incredible....'_

Well, it looked like that kid knew what he was doing. Naruto nodded and turned around, catching one last sneak peek at Gaara's powers and wondering just what on earth kind of jutsu that was. It was unlike anything he had ever witnessed before. And that Gaara, he was a whole new level of mysterious himself. Naruto pictured him in his mind as he walked towards the creek, remembering all the rude background talk he had heard about the sand ninja. _'Freak'_ stuck out more than most. Naruto had to wonder just why it was that everyone seemed so distant with him.

As Naruto reached the creek, he unzipped his jacket and slipped it off, mind blank of any coherent thoughts besides the ones his memories brought him. Words of hate, fear, disgust and anger. It all came back to him, swarming just as strongly inside his heart as it did his mind. His lips wobbled, eyes feeling hot as he pulled off his shirt, remembering the swingset and the back of the lonely classroom. No one liked him. No one treated him like he was anything special or could do anything great. He was just a nuisance. A failure.

As Naruto slipped his pants off and sat them and his shoes beside the messy pile behind him, he felt an uproar of motivation in his heart. _Iruka Sensei._ He smiled softly. That was one person who believed in him. Just like the third Hokage. There was hope. He was loved, respected and appreciated, even if only by one person in total. That was enough. Naruto felt prideful ease cool down his tense body at remembering all that Iruka had said and done for him. His sacrifice and his love.

Feeling confident, Naruto grabbed the canisters and began to fill them up one at a time. Whatever this mission was supposed to be about, he made the silent vow to Iruka Sensei that he would complete it. They all would. Once all four canisters were full, Naruto shoved them in the bag and began to descend into the water. He shivered and cursed why it had to be so cold. Nipples bulging, he shook off his distress and began to concentrate all his Chakra to his hands. It was a simple trick most villagers knew. All it took was a little Chakra among the surface of the water and the fish came swarming.

"Hehehe," Naruto laughed maliciously, "This'll be easy."

.... 

A few hours later and Shikamaru was walking back to the spot where he had last left his team mates, bag heavy with the herbs and fruits he had collected. Once he had made it to the camp sighting, he nearly fell back at what he saw. Branches that were stripped clean of their bodies now lay in shred piles amongst an impressive, hardened shed of sand. And sitting calm and quietly in that shed was Gaara. The red haired boy sat with his knees nearly touching his chest and arms wrapped underneath them. He looked occupied in his own mind, like the wild progress he had made was no big deal.

Sweat gathering on his skin from impression, Shikamaru walked forward, passing Gaara to sit beside him in his little sand fortress. "So..." He said in a bemused tone, setting the bag in between his legs and opening it up, "Is that your jutsu; manipulating sand?"

Shikamaru wasn't expecting much of an answer. After all, the kid hadn't spoken a word that he knew of. He wasn't even sure if he could talk. A part of him wondered if he should ask as he dug through the bag and pulled out some fruit, taking out a few berries and popping them in his mouth before offering the apple to the red haired kid. He could tell Gaara was looking at him, but tried to retain his focus to the large wood pile in front of them.

"Yes." The apple was taken from him.

Shikamaru nearly gasped at the sound of his voice and the fact that he took the food. So he could talk? Shikamaru snickered and uttered a small huff, "I guess that means we have something in common, huh. Not that controlling shadows is as cool as controlling sand, but it comes in handy at times."

Gaara's gaze was fixated between the apple in his hand and the dark, green grass before him. The wind was unjust. People spoke of a cold front coming in the next couple of nights.

"Where's Naruto?" Shikamaru asked while eating a few more berries, "Thought he'd be back by now? He drown or what?"

"No," Came a distant croak of distress.

Shikamaru and Gaara both looked to their right to find a blushing, almost completely naked Naruto holding a large bag full of fish and the canisters of water. His head was bowed as he held the bag in front of his only clothed region, embarrassment and annoyance covering his face.

"Naruto," Shikamaru closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, "Where's your clothes?"

"I don't know...."

"What?"

"I just said I don't know, alright, leave me alone!" Naruto got into a defensive position and raised up his fist as he shouted loudly, clearly unhappy about the sudden situation, "One second I'm grabbing a fish and the next my clothes are gone! Don't ask me how, it just happened!"

"Ohhh," Shikamaru groaned, eyes closed in a moment of pity and misfortune, "Well that's just great. They must've fallen in the water when you weren't paying attention. That's such a drag."

"Well if you're so smart why don't you catch the fish next time?" Naruto challenged.

"Pass," Shikamaru waved his hand.

As Naruto remained in his defense position, it gave off a perfect view of his stomach and the strange, peculiar mark on it. To this, Gaara tilted his head and observed the mark, wondering what it could mean. His eyes widened only the tiniest noticeable little bit as he grew a theory. His heart thumped a beat faster and his head ached with memories and questions. He looked up, eyes tracing the whisker marks on the naked ninja's face.

"It's almost dark," Shikamaru addressed and laid back, "We'll look for your clothes tomorrow. Right now I'm beat."

Naruto growled and stomped forward. He was still soaking wet from getting aggressive with the fish even though he managed to catch almost every single one he reached for. Setting the bag down, he then finally registered all the broken tree parts that would serve as their firewood, and the giant, sand made tarp sculpture. "Wow," He said in amazement before looking down at the red haired kid, "Did you do all this?"

Gaara nodded.

Naruto instantly grinned and put his fists together, saying brightly, "That's amazing! Where'd you learn to do that?"

Gaara hesitated. He wasn't used to people asking him questions nor being what you would call ' _amazed_ ' by his work. "The sand village," He answered calmly.

Naruto continued to look astounded, "You think you could teach me that?"

Gaara held back the disbelief and feelings of value he felt trying to spring to life inside him. "It's not a jutsu," He mumbled and looked away. Maybe the reaction to that would make these troublesome feelings go away.

"Aww," Naruto wilted, but overall remained inspired, "Well its still pretty awesome if you ask me."

Gaara looked back up at the leaf ninja, looked at his genuine smile and bright blue eyes. He looked so happy, so carefree and positive, especially towards him. Gaara's eyes fell to the mark on his stomach, mind wondering what it meant and where it had come from. He was tempted to ask, but was above such levels.

....

Later that night after the fire had been put out, more water had been fetched and everyone was lying down in Gaara's sand structure to sleep, a steady breeze took over the forest. Naruto, who had gotten wet once again from fetching water now lay between Shikamaru and Gaara, shaking and shuddering like a leaf. Shikamaru was deep asleep. Gaara was the only one awake, staring at Naruto as he continued to uncomfortably shudder in distress. Minty blue/green eyes gazed from between his mark and distressed, sleeping face, blinking only in consideration.

Gaara looked up at the trees as he did it. Sand slowly moved up and around the shivering body beside him, clumping up and falling apart. It wrapped around him, encompassing Naruto who eventually stopped shuddering and started breathing normally. Gaara wouldn't sleep that night. He never usually did. And even if he could, he'd still bury the annoying, shaking idiot with sand.

To shut him up of course though.

**Author's Note:**

> Who's up for chapter two?


End file.
